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Figure Skater's Van Broken Into During Arch Visit

Christalyn Trimiliove is a competitive figure skater with dreams of making it to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. But the Maryland native's brief stop in St. Louis on her way to a new life in Denver turned into a nightmare last weekend.

Trimilove writes,

We stopped in St. Louis for literally no more than 24 minutes, walked two blocks away to the Gateway Arch, and someone broke into our moving van and stole a lot of my things. They stole my laptop with pictures of my grandparents I will never get back, my iPad mini, beats headphones, monster speakers, my school books with my final exam for criminology that is due in a few weeks, clothes, jewelry, makeup, the list goes on and on. Above all of this, they stole my skates. The one thing and only reason I'm in Colorado right now.

Her story, though, may ring all too true for St. Louis residents. We've covered time and again the rash of van break-ins in and around the city, with out-of-town musicians being frequent victims. And the area near the Arch has become a particular concern. Not only was Army vet Chris Sanna shot there in a robbery attempt last fall, but even a wedding party was recently relieved of heirloom gowns after stopping nearby to take photos.

Trimilove previously attempted to raise money for her skating career on GoFundMe, but a torn MCL appears to have thwarted that goal. Here's hoping this attempt ends more happily.

We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at sarah.fenske@riverfronttimes.com